Together (rewrite)
Chapter 4
She took his hand and followed him down a pathway, soon she heard waves crashing and the ocean came into view. She breathed deeply and looked at Kurama who had let go of her hand. He set down the basket and pulled out a blanket and spread it out on the sand. He motioned for her to sit down and began to unpack their lunch. Once the food was unpacked he looked at her and smiled and said "I hope you like lunch?"
"I'm sure I will Kurama, after all you are a better cook than I am" she replied while chuckling.
The two ate in silence while gazing at their surroundings. She enjoyed the smell of the ocean and how blue the water was. She opened her mouth to comment how peaceful the beach was but before she could speak he said "This place sure is beautiful isn't it?"
"I was thinking the same thing" she said. She met his eyes and in that instant her mouth turned to cotton. His emerald eyes were staring intently at her not wanting to ever stop. He realized he was staring at her and looked away embarrassed. The two continued eating and when they were done he gathered up everything and put it back in his backpack.
He stood up and once again offered her his hand and asked "Are you ready Botan?"
"For what?" she asked.
"To go swimming of course" he replied as she took his hand once more.
"But I don't have a swimsuit" she said.
"Look in the bag" he replied with a wink. She opened the backpack and gasped there inside was not only a swimsuit but a towel. "How did. . ."
"I had a little help from Keiko" he said before she could finish. There's a secluded area over there if you wish to go change. With that she walked away to change, when she came back she was once again met with the sight of a shirtless Kurama. Her eyes widened and she thought 'Oh my'.
He looked at her and was speechless. He had never seen her in a swimsuit before and was pleasantly surprised at her curves. He stared at her until she said "Kurama" and his cheeks flushed red at being caught staring. "I'm sorry Botan, did you say something?"
"Um, it's just. . ." she trailed off. He smiled at her nervousness and began to make his way towards the water. He reached for her arm and said "Come on Botan." He led them both to the water and as soon as the water hit her toes she gasped and said "It's cold!" He laughed and said "It will warm up soon" and with that he walked deeper into the water until it was deep enough for him to dive. Botan slowly followed him and soon she was in waist deep water, she couldn't see Kurama but she knew he was around somewhere. All of a sudden she felt something grab her foot and pull her under. She came back up coughing and glared at Kurama who was laughing. She splashed him in the face and he stopped, he looked at her and began to splash her back. The two continued this game for a while and then suddenly stopped; both had to catch their breath because they were laughing so hard.
Botan moved closer to Kurama but he moved out of her reached before she could push him under. He reached an arm out and pulled her close to him to stop her from pushing him under water. She gasped at the feeling of his arms around her body. He looked at her and saw she was uncomfortable and quickly let her go.
"I'm sorry Botan I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable" he said apologetically.
"It's alright Kurama you just startled me" she whispered. 'Although it did feel good being in his arms' she thought to herself. Kurama dove underwater again and came back up a few yards from her. Botan floated lazily on her back and yelped when she felt arms once again around her waist, this time he said "Gotcha."
She laughed and turned around so she could look at him. His hair was plastered to his face but he still looked gorgeous, she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face and leaned forward, he thought she might kiss him but was surprised when she dunked him under water. He came up sputtering and expected to see her but instead she had moved away from him. He swam towards her and grabbed her again, this time he was not letting go. This time he leaned forward until his lips were hovering over hers, but he hesitated.
He quickly let her go and moved away from her. He looked at her and asked "Botan, maybe we should head home."
She nodded in response and both swam towards the shore. When they exited the water he noticed she was shivering and quickly moved to drape a towel over her shoulders. She smiled at his actions and thanked him quietly. Once they were dry they put their clothes back on and headed back towards his car.
They rode in silence neither wanting to show how disappointed they both were.
'Stupid' he thought 'you should have kissed her.'
'Did he not want to kiss me? Does that mean de doesn't like me?' she pondered. He reached over and covered her hand with his; she jerked her head to look at him. His hand stayed on hers until they reached Keiko's house. He turned off the car but neither made a move to exit the vehicle until he said "Botan."
She smiled at him and he smiled back at her. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. He had a sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her but soon the smile on his face turned into a scowl. Botan noticed how quickly his behavior had changed and asked "Is something wrong Kurama?"
"Botan, let's get inside" he said as he pulled away from her and rushed her out of the car and inside the house. He opened the door for her to enter and told her goodnight. As he shut the door behind her he looked around scanning the area for a trace of the evil aura he had just felt.
The shadow smiled, he decided now to make his presence known and was not disappointed when he sensed the fox's energy change. He watched his prey escort the deity inside and look around for the dark presence he had felt. The shadow was gone before the fox could discover where he had hidden. He thought 'Soon Kurama soon I will have what I desire" and with that he disappeared.
Botan lay in bed thinking about what had happened that day. She was sure now more than ever that Kurama did feel something for her and that made her happy. But his behavior at the door was unusual 'What could have caused him to act that way?' she thought 'Maybe I should ask him' and with that she decided she was going to his place and ask him, so quietly got out of bed and tiptoed past Keiko's room and closed the front door as quietly as she could. Once she was outside summoned her oar and flew to Kurama's.
Kurama too lay in bed, normally his thoughts would be on a certain blue haired deity but right now he was trying to figure out to what or who the energy he felt earlier belonged to. He had never felt energy like that before and he was sure it was not friendly. He was so lost in thought he didn't hear the knock on the window. The knocking became more insistent and he snapped out of it and realized what the noise was. He rose to open the window not paying attention to who entered his room he said with his back turned "What do you want Hiei?"
Botan cleared her throat and said his name. His eyebrows rose in surprise and he looked at her and apologized. "Botan, I'm sorry usually Hiei is the only one who comes in through the window. What brings you here Botan, are you alright?"
"Yes, Kurama I'm fine. Are you alright? You seemed rather preoccupied earlier and I wanted to make sure you were fine."
"Yes I'm fine I just thought u sensed something but turns out it was nothing." He continued.
'I don't want to worry her, I need to take care of this problem myself' he thought.
"Kurama" she said again and he once again turned his attention back to the lovely woman standing before him. She reached out and grabbed his hand as a gesture of comfort. He looked down at her hand then back to her face. She had a small smile on her lips. Without a second thought he pulled her body close to his and wrapped her in a hug.
"Thank you Botan" he whispered in her ear. His breath on her skin caused her knees to go weak. Kurama noticed and blew in her ear once again. She gasped and thought 'He's being so forward. What does it mean?'
He realized what he was doing and pulled away from her 'If I continue this I might cross a line I'm not sure I want to cross just yet' he thought.
"Botan tell me, was there something else you wanted to ask me?" he asked her quietly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
'Yes' she thought but she said "No I just wanted to make sure you were well."
"I appreciate your concern. By the way does Keiko know you're here?" he asked.
She fidgeted and said "I kind of snuck out.'
"I figured as much, it's late would you care to stay here tonight?" he asked not looking at her.
"I'd like that very much" she replied. He looked up at her and said "Then its settled you can sleep in here and I'll take the couch."
She nodded shyly and asked "Kurama would you happen to have some pajamas I could wear?"
"Let me check" and with that he rummaged in his dresser for some old pajamas that might fit her. He found some and handed them to her. He left the room so she could change. He knocked a moment later and heard her say "come in."
He opened the door and smiled at the sight of her; the clothes were big but looked good on her. She turned and saw him looking at her. "I came to grab my book" he said as he walked towards the nightstand.
He grabbed the books and once again made his way to the door, he turned and looked at her one last time and said "goodnight" she replied in kind and with that he shut the door and left her alone. Botan lay down and wrapped herself in the blanket and took a deep breath. She was surrounded by his scent and it was intoxicating. She fell asleep and dreamed of him.
Meanwhile on the couch Kurama attempted to read but couldn't focus, all he could think about was the beauty who lay upstairs in his bed. He wanted nothing more than to return upstairs and hug her again. He smiled as he remembered her reaction as he whispered in her ear 'Maybe Hiei is right, maybe I do have romantic feelings for her.'
'Why not just go upstairs and take her?' the deep voice of Yoko said in his head.
'I cannot do that' Kurama replied.
'And why not? It's obvious she feels something for you' Yoko countered.
'I don't know that for sure' Kurama said.
'Well then ask her' Yoko coaxed.
'I cannot' Kurama replied and with that statement Yoko's voice had subsided 'Maybe Yoko's right, she did seem to enjoy being in my arms.' He blew his bangs out of his face and decided to try and sleep. He slept fitfully; in his dreams he was chasing after a shadow, a shadow that threatened him and a certain ferry girl. As he caught up to the mysterious shadow he could see that the enemy was not alone in his arms was an unconscious Botan. Kurama flew into a rage and pulled out a rose and transformed it into a whip before he could bring the whip down upon the enemy he woke up in a cold sweat. His breathing was ragged and he took a series of deep breathes to calm himself down to slow his racing heart.
He looked at the clock and saw it was still early, he decided to get up and take a shower to wash away the dream. He slid off the couch and tiptoed towards the bathroom as not to wake Botan. He turned on the shower and while he waited for the water to warm up he brushed his teeth. He couldn't help but think about the strange dream he had. 'What does it mean?'
Once he was sure the water was warm enough he shed his sweat soaked clothes and stepped into the shower. He sighed as the water hit his face. The dream faded as he relaxed under the spray. He washed his hair and scrubbed the sweat from his body and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and began to dry off. He wrapped the towel around his waist when he realized he had no clean clothes to change into.
'I guess I'll have to wait until Botan wakes up to get dressed' he thought and with that he made his way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Botan awoke to the sounds of pots and pans. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed the air 'Something smells wonderful' she thought. She got up and made her way downstairs. She yawned as she stepped into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks. There was Kurama making breakfast wearing nothing but a towel. 'Oh my' she thought as her jaw dropped. He turned when he felt her presence and saw her with her mouth agape and her cheeks flushed.
She snapped out of her daydream when he asked "Did you sleep well?" she waited a moment before responding "Yes, thank you."
"Have a seat and I'll fix you a plate" he said and she obeyed. She couldn't help but stare at him; she longed to reach out and touch his skin and stroke his wet hair. He set a plate down in front of her and said "I hope you like it."
He sat across from her and watched her, she made no move to begin eating, and she just stared at his bare chest. He looked at her wondering why she wasn't eating until he remembered his state of undress. "Please excuse me" he said as he left the kitchen and made his way to his room to get dressed. He returned a few minutes later wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He noticed she had nearly cleaned her plate while he was gone. Before he joined her at the table he made himself a plate and once again sat across from her. They ate in silence. When she finished she took her plate and placed it in the sink and then started cleaning up.
"Botan you don't have to do that" he said as he started to stand.
"It's the least I can do" she replied as she placed a hand on his shoulder to force him to sit back down. He watched her as she cleaned. He enjoyed the view of her wiggling his hips as she washed the dishes as if she was dancing to some unheard music.
Suddenly he had an idea "Botan I appreciate you help, but I do have to run some errands. I would like to see you later tonight if that's alright."
She agreed and both made their way to the door. He waved to her as he got in his car and she started to walk back towards Keiko's. The rest of the morning passed slowly for Botan she couldn't help but wonder what Kurama had in store for her 'Why does he have to be so secretive?' she thought.
"Botan" she turned as Keiko said her name.
"Yes Keiko" she replied.
"Would you care to go shopping with me?' Keiko asked her friend. Botan perked up and nodded her head yes. The two girls were off and soon found themselves at the mall.
"So Keiko is there anything in particular you were looking for?"
"Well actually I brought you here to find some clothes for you" Keiko replied. Botan was stunned "What do you mean, what's wrong with my clothes? Do you not like them?" she asked her friend while looking down at what she was wearing.
"No Botan that's not it I just figured you could use some different clothes; you are going to need something to wear on your date tonight with Kurama."
"How did you know we had a date?" Botan asked. Keiko laughed and said "You were mumbling about it under your breathe."
Botan looked at her friend and quietly said "Oh" and with that Keiko dragged her friend away. Several hours later the girls made their way back to the car both laden down with shopping bags. They were exhausted form shopping and when they got home they decided a nap would be a good idea. Keiko awoke an hour later to the phone ringing she ran to pick it up before the machine could.
"Hello"
"Hello Keiko, did everything go well?"
"Yes Kurama it did, she's all set for tonight"
"Great, I can't thank you enough for all your help Keiko" and with that he hung up.
'Don't thank me until you see the outfit I picked out for her to wear tonight' though Keiko slyly. She went upstairs to Botan's room and shook her awake. "Botan you should get up and start getting ready, Kurama will be here soon."
Botan groaned and put the pillow over her head. Keiko sighed at her friends behavior "Botan don't you want to see Kurama?" At the sound of his name her eyes snapped open and she shot out of bed. "That's right Kurama did want to see me tonight" Botan said and with that she ran to get into the shower.